Level D· Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studiesNarrative ReviewEurope PMCOpen access

Recent Advances in Silk Fibroin-Based Composites for Bone Repair Applications: A Review

Zhu S., Zhang Q., Xu X., Liu Z., Cheng G., Long D.

Narrative Review, published in Polymers (Basel) (2025) — summary generated from the PubMed abstract.

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Level D· Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studiesEvidence level of this study

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

  • Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
  • Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
  • Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
  • Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
  • Emerging · Emerging topic under active research
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This page is generated from the PubMed record. The Thai description is an automated summary of bibliographic fields and the abstract, not a full translation, and is not medical advice.

Study type
Narrative Review
Journal
Polymers (Basel) (2025)
Reported sample size
—
Source database
Europe PMC
PMID
40292628
PMCID
PMC11945653
DOI
10.3390/polym17060772
Citations
8

Abstract (original English)

Silk fibroin (SF), a natural high-molecular-weight fiber protein extracted from silk, has demonstrated immense potential in bone tissue repair and regeneration due to its exceptional physicochemical properties. Silk fibroin can be processed into various scaffold forms using diverse fabrication techniques, combined with other biomaterials to create composite structures, or chemically modified to address a wide range of bone defect conditions. This review provides a comprehensive examination of the role of silk fibroin and its composites in bone tissue engineering, with particular emphasis on preclinical studies investigating various silk fibroin-based composite scaffolds in osteogenesis. Additionally, it discusses the current status and challenges in preparing silk fibroin scaffolds tailored to bone tissue defects and explores innovative approaches such as silk fibroin membranes, hydrogels, and 3D-printed constructs. The review begins with an introduction to bone biology, including its composition, structure, healing mechanisms, and the development of bone repair materials. It then delves into the unique properties of silk fibroin, including its composition, structure, and physicochemical attributes, which make it an ideal candidate for bone tissue engineering. This review provides valuable insights into their design, fabrication, and application by critically analyzing recent a

What this study does not prove

  • • This study does not prove SVF is an approved treatment or a replacement for standard care.
  • • This is a narrative review: it collects no new patient data and does not systematically appraise evidence quality.

Evidence level

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

How we grade evidence

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